Method and apparatus for making paper plates and the like



'Oct 1,645,931

18 1927 H. E. RUCKERT ET AL METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING PAPER PLATES AND THE LIKEI Filed Jan.l2, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented a."1's, 1927.

UNITED STATESl PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY E. RUCKERT AND BERNARD H. FINE, OP PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA,

ASSIGNORS, BY MESN E ASSIGNHENTB,

T0 SANITARY PRODUCTS CORPORATION Ol' AMERICA, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR HAXING PAPER PLATES AND THE LIKE.

Application med January This invention relates'to the manufacture of plates, dishes, and the llke frompaper or other sheet material and has for its ob ect the production of a folded, as distinguis ed following description of the production of av late in .accordance therewith as illustrated 16 1n the accompanying drawings. It. will be understood, however, that the lparticular constructions and operations hereinafterl described in connection with the drawings aforesaid have been chosen for illustrative l20 purposes merely, and that the invention, as

defined by the claims hereunto appended, may be otherwise embodied and practiced without departure from the sp1r1t and scope thereof.

In said drawings: Figs. 1, 2 and 3 are simplified vertical sectional views of apparatus operating 1n accordance with the invention to produce a plate embodying the same, showing the :so parts in the blanking-out, form1ng,'and delivering positions, respectively.

Figs. 4 and 5 'are a plan and an edge view, respectively, of a blank from which a plate is made, showing the Vsame after the blank- 35 ing-out and before the formlng operation.

Figs. 6 and 7 are aplan view and a slde elevation, respectively, of thefimshed late. Fig. 8 is a plan view of the com med blanking-out punch and forming die.

Fig. 9 is a section on the line 9 9, Fig. 8. Figs. 10 andy 11 are a bottom plan view and a side elevation, respectively, of the plunger which co-operates with the forming die.

Fig. 12 is a section on the line 12-12, Fi 2.

Fig. 13 is an enlarged detail section on the line 13--13, Fig. 12.

Referring to Fig. 1, the web or sheet of paper or other stock is passed or fed by any suitable means, not shown, over a yieldingly supported stripper plate 21 surrounding a' stationar blanking-out punch and forming die22 w ich co-operates w1th a complemen- .12, 1925. Serial No. 1,785.

tary blanking-out die 23 which is periodically depressed by an suitable means,not shown, to punch bla s 24 from said sheet or web. As herein shown, and in accordance with the preferred form of plate pro` duced, the blanks 24 are circular Ain shape l eis corresponding to the desired outline of t e vbase of the finished late. Preferably, and as herein shown, sai opening is of regular polygonal form with outwardly or radially disposed notches 26 at each of its angles and is of substantially constant cross-sectional area throughout. Co-operating with the opening 25 in the die member 22 is an implement in the form of a plunger 27 of a size and shape substantially to lit the opening 25 in the die 22 lwith the clearance necessary to receive the stock, as hereinafter more fully explained. The plunger 27 is provided at suitably s aced points about its periphery with ra ial fins or projections 8 to enter the notches 26. The plunger 27 is also of substantially constant cross-sectional area throughout, except as hereinafter explained, while4 the projections or fins 8 are of triangular form with their apices at the bottom or free end'of the plunger.

In the forming operation, the plunger 27 descends from the osition shown in Fig. 1 into the position sltfown in Fig. 2, and the blank 24 supported on the combined punch and die 22 is forced into the cavity or opening 25. Durin this operation, the marginal ortions o the blank 24 are turned or folde lines defined by the lower edges of the latter,

the resulting surplus material being received in the notches 26 into which it is forced or guided'by the fins l8. As the plunger 27 Acontinues to move downwardly into the position 'shown in Fig. 3, the folded blank is forced entirely through the opening 25, and the resilience of the material cause's the upwardly upwardly about the plunger upon folded marginal portions of the blank to spring outwardly to a certain extent, so that,

when-the plunger again rises, engagement of 4the upper edges of said portions with the lower face of the die 22 causes the folded blank to be disengaged from said plunger, should it tend to stick thereto, and to be delivered through the bottom of the apparatus to any suitable receiving receptacle or mechanism, not shown.

It will be seen that the operation above described is a folding, as distinguished from a molding operation, the marginal portions of the blank being merely folded upwardly about'the lower end of the plunger, and the resulting surplus material being taken care of by guiding the same into natural folds at spaced points about the periphery. The platev formed bythe folded blank, and designated as a whole at 29, as shown in Figs. 6` and 7- is of regular frustroyramidal form' and comprises a base 30, ormed by the minor polygon of the frustum, upwardly flaring, substantially plane sides 31 forming obtuse angles with one another, and substantially triangular folds 32 connecting adjacent sides, said folds being of maximum' width at the upper edge of the plate, and being disposed with their apices at the base 30 The plunger 27, while of substantially constant cross-sectional area throughout, as above stated, is preferably slightly tapered from top to bottom, so as to provide for slightly less clearance between itself and the walls of the opening 25 at its upperend than at its lower, the fins 8 being sim arly tapered, as shown most clearly in 'Fi 13. The clearance afforded at the lower end of the plunger is amply sutlicient to receive the full thickness of the stock operated upon, while that afforded at the upper end is slightly less than the normal or initial thickness of the stock, thereby resulting in a compression of the sides 31 and folds 32 adjacent their upper edges to vconsolidate and strengthen said edges as well as to set the creases between the sides 3l and folds 32 at said edges. This operation is facilitated by heating the dies, so that the action, as the plate is forced-through the opening 25, is that of ironing theupper -edge of the late toconsolidate the same and set the olds. By way of illustration, electric resistance coils 33 are shown for this purpose, although any other suitable heating means, such as a steam 'acket or a burner, may be employed if pre erred.

From the foregoing, it will be noted that the folds 32 are formed by a true folding operation as distinguished from a molding or crimping operation. As the blank is carried downwardly through the opening 25- sheet material comprising cooperating relatively movable members having means for folding upwardly the marginal portion of a blank, and also'having means for gradually folding during the relative movement of said members intermediatel parts of said upturned marginal portions and compressing a part only of each fold.

2. An apparatus for making articles from sheet material comprising a pair of relatively movable folding members, one thereof shiftable through. an opening in the other to fold upwardly a marginal portion of a blank, one of said members having spaced upright folding walls and the other having a projection adapted to carry a part of 4said marginal portion between said walls to form a fold, said projection being wedge shaped to compress a portion of said fold.

3. VAn apparatus for making articles from sheet material comprising a pair of relatively movable folding members, one thereof shiftable through an opening in the other to fold upwardly a marginal portion of a blank, one of said members having spaced folding walls and the other having a tapered projection of greater thickness at the top than at the bottom and cooperating with said folding walls to form a fold in said marginal portion of the blank.

4. The herein described method of making plates and the like from paper and similar sheet stck which consists in folding a blank about the end f a punch by passing said punch through a complementary opening in 'a die while permitting the free upward folding of certain marginal portions of said blank and guiding other marginal portions, between said first named portions, into outwardly directed folds.

In testimony whereof we allix our signatures.l

HARRY E. RUCKERT. BERNARD M. FINE, 

